Α:I think in terms of per screen minute, i’ve propably as much time into the animated series as i did into the live action.The most important thing from my point of view is to be able to retain influence at every stage at the development of the character.

Q:Were you suprised that Mr. Bean was such an international success?

A:I wasn’t that surprised actually.I suppose i have always completely believed in Mr. Bean in terms of his ability to entertain but perhaps that’s just because i still find him an extremely amusing character.

Q:How do you view the character after all this time?

A:I have a huge faith and a huge liking of the character.I think he’s fascinating and i still enjoy watching him and playing him.The essence of Mr. Bean is that he’s entirely selfish and self centered and doesn’t actually acknowledge the outside world.

Q:How did the idea to do the animation come about?

A:Asa live action character he always had a cartoon-like quality and quite often when were creating the original live action series.We always had a sort of cartoon visual in mind when discussing jokes.

Q:How would you sum up Mr. Bean’s character?

Α:He’s a peculiar combination of candid innocence and vindictiveness,a completely self-centered and yet rather sweet-natured character.